Morganatic Marriage
by thenotefromwhichachordisbuilt
Summary: "A marriage between a member of a royal or noble family and a person of inferior rank in which the rank of the inferior partner remains unchanged and the children of the marriage do not succeed to the titles, fiefs, or entailed property of the parent of higher rank." AU: Link is the Prince and Zelda the commoner Cover Image (c) theLostSindar @ deviantart


Link

When I was about 7 years old, I was taught about Hyrule's magnificent history. I, along with my older brother, Darius, learned about the birth of our wonderful land and how the three Goddesses shaped and created our country. After many lessons on creation, we soon learned of the early kings that developed Hyrule's kingdom I was born into. We were taught about the the early alliances between Hyrule's kingdom and the surrounding lands. We learned about the laws, customs and traditions. We were then taught about the wars. The Great War, The 100 Years War, the Imprisoning War, the Hyrulean Civil War, and the latest war that took place nearly a century ago, the Commoner's War. We spent the most time on the Commoner's War, for reasons unknown to me at the time.

The Commoner's War took place under King Lionel the Red, in year 862. The premise of the war was the outbreak of frustration pented up for years of the common Hylian people being mistreated by the royal family. They formed a large militia and charged the palace gates. The Royal Guard held them at bay while the Hylian military was assembled. Based on numbers, the commoner's militia should've been eliminated; however, many of the soldiers and some of the guard had loved ones in the militia or were affected adversely by the cruelty shown to the constituents themselves. As a result, half of the soldiers in the military turned against their comrades and fought with the militia. The Royal Family, afraid that the remaining soldiers and guard would turn against them, quickly drafted a peace offering, known as the Morganatic Marital Law. This law promised that every five generations, the second born prince or princess would go out into Hyrule and choose a spouse from the common folk. The Royal Family originally proposed that the marriage would be completely morganatic, meaning the common spouse would not be considered royalty and all children produced through this marriage, though legitimate, would not be considered an heir to the throne. The people retaliated that the spouse would be addressed as royalty and any children produced would be considered as an heir, if there are no other heirs born that could succeed the throne. I was told the Royal Family originally refused, not wanted to the royal bloodline to be "tainted." Eventually, their hand was forced as the militia became more overwhelming and the law was revised. The war ended, lasting only a few weeks.

When I was 15, I learned that I fell into that fifth generation that would be required to take a common wife.

I was reading a novel in the palace library when my mother had asked to sit with me. The sun had just started going down but I had yet to light a candle. I was reading an adventure novel by the waning light in front of the big picture windows overlooking the west side of the palace walls. I motioned for my mother, Queen Hilda, to sit at the empty chair across from me without looking up from my readings. She asked if I had remembered the Commoner's War from my history lessons. I had nodded and put my book down, curious as to why she would bring this up, years after I had learned about. She gave me a small smile and I leaned back into my chair, realizing why she had. I told her I fell into the fifth generation and she nodded, as if I had asked. She remained silent as I turned to look at the window. When I had looked back at her, she was smiling. She said that she was excited to meet the wonderful lady I chose. She told me to not let anything my father, who was less than kind when talking about commoners, may say sully my marriage because my future wife would be welcomed into our family in her eyes.

My mother had always been a kind-hearted person, in stark contrast with my father. The King ruled the kingdom well, if not heavy-handed. He was a very no nonsense man that was strict with his children and even more so with those under his rule. My grandmother, while she was still alive, was very similar in manner - harsh and aloof. My mother had been a kind buffer between the harsher Harkinians, often consoling my brother and I after a particularly nasty verbal lashing from Father or Grandmother when we were children. As a result, I often sought her out for comfort and for advice throughout my adolescence. She was very wise about everything and anything I brought to her. If not for her, I very well could've carried the same disgust for the people as Father and Grandmother before me. My mother brought a new and different perspective than the degrading and backhanded comments about 'commoners' than my father. She told me about the struggles and sacrifices that the common people made to provide and sustain this country and our way of life. She said it was only fair to extend the same courtesy to them. She said some people, without mentioning my father or grandmother, would never see it that way. They'd always see it as commoners had their place at the bottom of the hierarchy and should act like such.

My mother had taken my hand, smiled sweetly and promised that she would love and welcome the woman I married despite her being of different status, as she would with Darius' wife, who was to be of royal or noble status. I remember that day so clearly.

I also remember the next day when my father announced the very same news of me being required by law to take a common woman as my wife. His tone was one of disgust and anger, a complete opposite to the one my mother carried as she delivered the same news. He told me that my only obligation was to marry the peasant in the legal sense of the word - and that I had no buisness bedding her as if she were actually my wife. He said it would be a disgrace for one of his sons to be tainted by a common woman. I kept my face passive, knowing better than to disagree. Queen Hilda, standing dutifully behind her husband as she always did, frowned slightly. She kept her eyes trained to the ground as my father spat out his venomous words about this damned law and how if I were ever to sully myself with a peasant, that he'd never accept her or any _spawn_ we produced to be his grandchild. I stood there, grinding my teeth as I silently withstood his berating, ignoring every word he said. I made a promise to myself that day, similar to that of my mother's, I would love the woman I chose as my wife. I would welcome her, love her and care for her with all my heart and might, even if it meant my father would turn his back on me and my potential family.

A month later, it was announced to the public that I'd be choosing a bride from the people. Mere days after the announcement, my mother suddenly fell ill. Sometime after supper, after we had all dispersed for our leisure activities, Queen Hilda had became so ill in a short amount of time that a doctor was sent for her. My brother and I, who were sparring that night, rushed to her bed chambers as soon as we heard. When we reached her, the doctor announced that she was on her deathbed. I examined her as I processed the devastating news. She was deathly pale and lethargic. My brother and I each took a side of the bed, grabbing one of her hands as we each whispered how much we loved her. She smiled weakly and attempted to squeeze our hands as she told us that she would always watch over us. She expressed tearfully that she couldn't wait to watch us grow into handsome young men and watch us carve our own path in the world. She then looked to me and frowned, her eyes beginning to overflow. She told me she was sorry she couldn't uphold her promise to me - that she would welcome the woman I chose to marry into our family as she would any princess or noble woman Darius married. She removed her hand from mine and pointed to her study, telling me to fetch a sealed envelope from the top drawer on her desk. I quickly did as she asked, kneeling beside her once more to hand the letter to her. She pushed it towards me and told me to let my future wife, and only her, read it when the time was right. I meant to ask her when the right time was, but she had turned to Darius to say her final words to him. After mere minutes, her breathing grew shallow. Soon enough, she gently closed her eyes and was gone.


End file.
